Scientists say dogs, cats catch flu from humans

You probably keep your spouse or your children at arm’s reach when you come down with the flu, in hopes that the sickness won’t spread. But did you know that you need to avoid coughing in Fido’s face as well?

Scientists at Oregon State University said in a press release last week that they’re concerned about “reverse zoonosis,” the spread of disease from people humans to animals such as dogs, cats or even ferrets.

Researchers believe people have passed the H1N1 flu virus, the most recent influenza pandemic strain, to cats and other animals, and in some cases the animals have died.

“Most people don’t realize that humans can also pass diseases to animals, and this raises questions and concerns about mutations, new viral forms and evolving diseases that may potentially be zoonotic,” said Christiane Loehr, an associate professor in the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine.

Loehr and other researchers at OSU and Iowa State University are surveying flu transmission to household dog and cat populations and suggest that people with flu-like illness stay away from their pets.

Loehr said the first recorded case of fatal human-to-cat transmission of the H1N1 flu virus occurred in Oregon in 2009. A pet owner came down with the flu and had to be hospitalized. While she was in the hospital, her indoor cat died of pneumonia caused by the same virus.

The primary concern, Loehr said, is that when the virus moves to a new species, it could mutate to a more dangerous form.

“In terms of hosts and mutations, who’s to say the cat couldn’t be the new pig? We’d just like to know more about this.”